Congress: Don't play politics with child slavery

For almost a year, World Vision has advocated for the passage of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVRPA), inviting our supporters to join us in advocating for this bill. The Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) -- the cornerstone of U.S. policies to fight modern-day slavery -- expired on September 30, 2011, because Congress did not vote to reauthorize the law in time. As a result, U.S. efforts to combat trafficking are essentially on hold until the law is reauthorized.

As we continue to work toward passing the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA), one thing is certain: Our elected leaders are not making this easy.

From optimism to disappointment

As we headed toward the end of 2011, I was quite optimistic that Congress would finally pass the TVPRA. The Senate version of the bill (S.1301) was gaining bipartisan support as a direct result of constituent calls from advocates like you.

However, before Congress adjourned in December, everything blew up.

Here's why: In October, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded a large grant to three organizations to fund services for domestic trafficking survivors in the United States. One of the organizations competing for the grant was the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

However, officials from the Obama administration overruled HHS and denied the grant to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops because, in accordance with Catholic teaching, the group would not refer trafficking survivors to a “full range of obstetric care” -- i.e., access to birth control and abortions.

And, just like that, for the first time in the history of the TVPA -- a law that has existed since 2000 -- the debate became about abortion, and, by extension, religious freedom.

Trafficking fight sidelined by politics

For 10 years, Democrats and Republicans alike have kept the debate over abortion out of the TVPRA because they knew that leading the fight against trafficking was too important to be sidelined by politics. Time and time again, conservative and liberal groups all came together to stand up against modern-day slavery.

But now, the battle lines have been drawn. What makes this especially frustrating is that such a battle need not take place. Language already exists in other laws -- most notably, the legislation that created the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief -- to ensure that religious organizations are not discriminated against or forced to refer victims to abortion services.

Both parties are using this issue as a political wedge in an election year. It’s a game in which everyone loses -- most notably vulnerable children around the world.

Continued advocacy urgently needed

It’s up to us to remind Congress that enslaved and exploited children around the world don’t have the luxury of waiting to see who gets elected this year. It’s time to tell our lawmakers: Don’t play politics with child slavery.

World Vision will continue to work aggressively with both the Obama administration and Congress to that ensure religious freedom is protected. But we need citizen advocates like you to continue urging your senators to pass the TVPRA (S.1301). Our elected leaders need to know that their constituents demand that the United States have an updated trafficking victims protection law -- despite the other issues of contention.

If we fail to create the pressure necessary to pass the bill this year, we’ll have to wait until a new Congress comes in next year. We must pass the TVPRA now to reclaim America's distinction as a global leader in the fight against human trafficking.

Contact your senators today. Tell them that you support the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, and urge them to reauthorize this critical legislation in the fight against modern-day slavery.

Hi Jesse and others,
Thank you for this article.
I am a volunteer with California Against Slavery (CAS) and CAS is looking for volunteers to sign a petition or help them in collecting signatures to get an Anti-Trafficking initiative on the 2012 ballot in November in California. Please visit their website for more information about the initiative. (http://www.caseact.org/case/)
Please also contact them if you would like more information or would like to write an article about this initiative or organization.
Blessings!

It's very disappointing that politicians elected to serve the people think more about their own chances for getting re-elected than thinking about the people they serve or those who are victims with no political, or any other kind of power.